HealthLinkBC Files

HealthLinkBC Files

HealthLink BC Files are easy-to-understand fact sheets about public health and safety. Files are available as printable PDFs and can be found at many local public health units. 

Files are created, reviewed and updated in collaboration with subject matter experts throughout the province and with clinical and dietitian teams at HealthLink BC. They provide information on health topics like:

  • Childhood and adult disease prevention
  • Infant vision and dental care
  • Immunizations
  • Environmental health hazards
  • Advice on travel on vaccinations and precautions to take while travelling
  • Food safety and how to avoid food poisoning

Search or browse for HealthLinkBC Files below. You can sort the list by file number, file name, or date of last update.

Support in other languages

Many HealthLink BC Files are translated in multiple languages including Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, French, Korean, Punjabi, Spanish and Vietnamese. You can also receive health information and support in more than 130 languages by calling 8-1-1.

Find a Health File

This is a complete list of HealthLink BC Files sorted by File Number. To sort by HealthLink BC File Name or the date of Last Update, click anywhere in the column's heading to re-sort the list. To view a HealthLink BC File, click on the file name.
# File name Last updated
01 Tick bites and disease
02 E. coli infection
03 Pasteurized and raw milk
04 Toxic shock syndrome
05a Nitrate in well water
05b Well water testing
06 Head lice
07a Rabies
07b Rabies immune globulin and vaccine
08a Gonorrhea
08b Urethritis
08c Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
08d Genital herpes
08e Syphilis
08f Cervicitis
08g Bacterial vaginosis (BV)
08h Pubic lice
08i Molluscum contagiosum
08j Vaginal yeast infection
08l Chlamydia
08m HIV and HIV tests
08o Preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
08p Trichomoniasis
09 Scabies
10 Giardia infection
11 Ultraviolet radiation
12a Why seniors should get the inactivated influenza (flu) vaccine
12b Facts about influenza (the flu)
12c Influenza (flu) immunization: Myths and facts
12d Inactivated influenza (flu) vaccine
12e Live attenuated influenza (flu) vaccine
13 Polio vaccine (IPV)
14a Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine
14b Measles
14c Mumps
14d Rubella
14e Measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccine
15a Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, polio (Tdap-IPV) vaccine
15b Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, haemophilus influenzae type b (DTaP-IPV-Hib) vaccine
15c Pertussis (whooping cough)
16 Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine
17 Salmonellosis
18a Tetanus and diphtheria (Td) vaccine
18c Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap) vaccine
18d Tetanus immune globulin
19 Dental care for your infant and toddler
20 Clean-up after a flood
21 Maintenance and operation of onsite sewage systems
22 Home canning - How to avoid botulism
23a Meningococcal C conjugate (Men-C) vaccine
23b Meningococcal quadrivalent vaccines
23c Meningococcal b (Men-b) vaccine
23d Meningococcal disease
24 Health Risks in the Wilderness
25a Hepatitis B vaccine
25b Hepatitis B immune globulin
25c Hepatitis B infant vaccine
25d Protecting your baby against hepatitis B at birth
25e Hepatitis B virus infection
26 Sun safety for children
27a Residential hot tubs and pools: Health and safety tips
27b Residential hot tubs and pools: Safe water quality
27c Short-term private residential pool rental
28 Water fluoridation facts
30a The harmful effects of second-hand tobacco smoke and vapour
30b Risks of alternative tobacco and nicotine products
30c Quitting smoking
30d Quit or reduce vaping
31 Lead paint and hazards
32 Asbestos: When should I worry?
33 Hepatitis A vaccine
34 HTLV-1 Virus
35 Heat-related illness
35a Safety for the perinatal population during extreme heat
35b Safety for infants and young children during extreme heat
35c Heat-related illness in infants and young children
36 Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome
37 Getting rid of rodents (rats and mice)
38a HIV testing in pregnancy
38b Pregnancy and dental health
38c Pregnancy and folic acid (folate): Preventing neural tube defects
38d Pregnancy and alcohol use
38e Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
39 Safety tips for swimmers
40a Hepatitis C virus
40b Living well with hepatitis C virus
40c Healthy eating for chronic hepatitis
40d Living well with hepatitis B virus infection
41a Health advice for travellers
41c Travel immunizations for adults
41d Travelling with children
41e Traveller's diarrhea
41f Malaria prevention
41g The pregnant traveller
41h Japanese encephalitis vaccine
41i Yellow fever vaccine
41j Typhoid vaccine
41k Traveller’s diarrhea and cholera vaccine
42 Radon in homes and other dwellings
43 Toxoplasmosis
44a Facts about chickenpox
44b Chickenpox (varicella) vaccine
46 Sleep related infant death
47 Cyanobacteria blooms (blue-green algae)
48 Cryptosporidium infection
49a Waterborne infections in British Columbia
49b Disinfecting drinking water
49c Arsenic in drinking water
49d Drinking water chlorination facts
49e Lead in drinking water
49f Wildfire: Its effects on drinking water quality
49g Manganese in drinking water
49h Asbestos in drinking water
49i PFAS in drinking water
50a Your baby's immune system and vaccines
50b The benefits of immunizing your child
50c Childhood vaccines are safe
50d Childhood vaccines: What is in the vaccines and why
50e A better immunization experience for your child
50f Grade 6 immunizations in B.C.
50g Grade 9 immunizations in B.C.
50h Numbing Creams and Patches for Immunizations
50i Immunizations at 2 months of age
50j Immunizations at 12 months of age
51a Tuberculosis (TB)
51b Sputum testing for Tuberculosis (TB)
51c Home isolation for Tuberculosis (TB)
51d Tuberculosis (TB) skin test
52 Swimmer's itch
53a Young children and their vision
53b Elementary school age children and their vision
54 Fifth disease (parvovirus infection)
55a Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)
55b Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD)
56 Preventing Water-Borne Infections For People with Weakened Immune Systems
58 Campylobacter infection
59a Food safety: Easy ways to make food safer
59d Food safety in child care facilities
60 Necrotizing Fasciitis (Flesh-Eating Disease)
61a Role of Pets in Human Disease
61b Petting zoo and open farm visits
62a Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV 13) vaccine
62b Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine
62c Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV 20) vaccine
63 Immune Globulin
64 Hand, foot and mouth disease
65a Indoor air quality
65b Indoor air quality: Mould and other biological contaminants
65c Indoor air quality: Combustion by-products
65d Indoor air quality: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
65e Particulate matter and outdoor air pollution
65f Outdoor air quality: Sulphur dioxide (SO2)
66 Immunization for health care workers in B.C.
67 Newborn blood spot card screening
68a Heart Healthy Eating for People with High Cholesterol
68b Healthy Eating to Lower High Blood Pressure
68c Iron and your health
68d Iron in foods
68e Calcium and your health
68f Dietary fat and your health
68h Fibre and your health
68i Healthy snacks for adults
68j Healthy eating and healthy aging for adults
68l Managing constipation with diet: Adults
68n Vitamin D and your health
68o Protein and your health
68p Plant-based eating guidelines
69a Feeding your baby formula: Before you start
69b Feeding your baby formula: Safely making and storing formula
69c Baby's first foods
69d Helping your 1 to 3 Year old child eat well
69e Meal and snack ideas for your 1 to 3 year old child
69f Lunches to go
69g Feeding your baby: During an emergency
69h Feeding your baby: Sample meals for babies 6 to 12 months old
69i Iron-rich foods for babies and toddlers
69j Vegan feeding guidelines for babies and toddlers
69k Vegetarian feeding guidelines for babies and toddlers
69l Feeding your baby: Preparing for an emergency
70 Breastfeeding or chestfeeding
71a Hearing loss in children
71b Hearing tests for infants and children
71c Hearing loss in adults
72 Unpasteurized fruit/vegetable juices and ciders: A potential health risk
73 Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
74 Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE)
75 Listeriosis
77 Yersiniosis
78 Seniors' falls can be prevented
79 Q fever
80 Shigellosis
81 Impetigo
82 Pinkeye (conjunctivitis)
83 Roseola
84 Reye syndrome
85 Hand washing: Help stop the spread of germs
86 Shaken baby syndrome (SBS)
87 Norovirus
88 West Nile virus
90a Spongy moth spraying
90b Aerial spraying for native defoliators in B.C.’s forests
91a Hormonal contraception and using other medications at the same time
91b Emergency contraception (EC)
92a Your child and play from birth to 3 years
92b Your child's development from birth to 3 years
92c Your child's feelings
92d Toilet learning
92e Time for bed
93a Preventing abuse and neglect of older adults
93b Abuse and neglect of older adults: Information for family caregivers
93c Abuse and neglect of older adults: Understanding gender differences
93d Financial abuse of older adults
95 Bed bugs
96 Insect repellents and DEET
97 Contact with blood or body fluids: Protecting against infection
98 Cryptococcal disease (C. gattii)
99 How to take a temperature: Children and adults
100a Severe allergic reactions to food: Children and teens
100b Allergy safe adult care facilities
100c Allergy safe child care facilities
101a Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and genital warts
101b Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines
102a Understanding harm reduction: Substance use
102b Harm reduction for families, caregivers and friends of people who use substances
103a Community evacuation information for seniors
103b Seniors as emergency response volunteers
103c Caring for seniors in long-term care in an emergency
104a Rotavirus vaccine (Rotarix®)
105 Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b (DTaP-HB-IPV-Hib) vaccine
106 Group A streptococcal infections
107 Safe sleeping for babies
109 Caffeinated energy drinks
110a Managing eating, chewing and swallowing difficulties in care facilities
110b Preventing choking in babies and young children: For child care providers
111 Shingles vaccine
112 Febrile seizures (fever seizures)
114 Clostridium difficile (C. difficile)
116 Prenatal ultrasound
118 Naloxone: Treating opioid poisoning (overdose)
119 The Infants Act, mature minor consent and immunization
120 Carbapenemase-producing organisms (CPO)
121 Cyclospora infection (cyclosporiasis)
122 Concussion
123 Burns and scalds in young children
124a COVID-19 mRNA vaccines
125 Mercury spills in residential settings
126 A decision-making guide for patients diagnosed with cataract(s)
127 Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine
128 Lymphedema and chronic edema (swelling)
129 Mpox vaccine